SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYS

July 29, 2005

Houston Nutt

HOUSTON NUTT: Hard to believe going on my eighth year. Good to be here. Only thing a little different this is the first time I was here on my last day with y'all, so it's good see y'all. It's hard to believe I won't have No. 9, Matt Jones. He helped us for about the last three years, led the league in scoring, almost 30 points a game, No. 1 in red zone offense and boy done a lot of positive things for us. He was our only returner starter last year that was good news because everybody is a little older. To start with the offensive line I feel good about them. Experienced group now after being through the trenches and the wars for a full year, and Kyle Roper who I brought with me today has been an outstanding leader for us. I am excited about him. Defensively also a year older, feel good about our defense, this time last year our secondary was very, very young. We had two juniors, you recall Batman Carl (phonetic) and Lawrence Richardson left as juniors, so we will have to force some freshman to jump in the fire early. So our team is a little bit older. This is also the first time -- my eighth year -- first time that we're not coming off a Bowl Game and so it's been a long offseason. Our guys have worked extremely hard and we had a few more 5:30 a.m. workouts. Our players started their past scale this summer a little bit earlier. You can feel the sense of urgency and the attitude and the commitment and the sacrifice. That's what it's about. I appreciate their attitude and how they went about things. It starts with the seniors Vickiel Vaughn has been doing a good job on that side of the ball leading us and without anything else said I will just open it up to you guys.

HOUSTON NUTT: It's good to have Zac back. He's a 6', 8" guy that we needed. We didn't play as well when he went down. You miss a big tackle, big bookend like him. I was surprised little bit to see him, that far up, especially preseason when he missed just about the whole year. But the thing about Zac when he did play he played and did some good things. He blocks extremely well and plays hard. Whether the play is coming to his side or away from him so he gives great effort. I can see why there would be some people that would think he deserves that. I am just glad to have him back for two-a-days.

HOUSTON NUTT: I think the biggest thing that -- three quarterbacks that are competing for the starting job is No. 1 don't get us beat you don't have to be superman, you don't have to step in Matt Jones' shoes. Basically you cannot. We're not asking you to be him; we're asking you to manage the game. Asking you to throw the ball to our guys. Asking you to manage the clock and get us in the right play. Distribute the ball. You don't have to be superman. We want you to make good, quick decisions, right decisions. There's nothing wrong with punting the ball occasionally, nothing wrong with that. That's what we're trying to teach and convince our quarterbacks that right now Robert Johnson has the most experience and just be yourself. These guys are good quarterbacks. Probably get a little bit back to the way the Clint Sterners; when I had Mike Cherry, a little bit conventional-type quarterbacks where Matt Jones was more on the move and the bootlegs and the waggles and shotgun most of the time.

HOUSTON NUTT: Well, each week, Kevin and I get together and we go over the poll and we mark our ballot and I like that. I like doing that. You try to watch as many games -- you know about the SEC first and foremost. You know that. Then you try to see a few games along the way. But I kind of like the way it is right now. I really do.

HOUSTON NUTT: I think the biggest thing, it started when you didn't have those extra 15 to 20 practices. I think that's the biggest thing. I think our players and coaches were embarrassed. We really planned on being the only team, only staff to go to seven straight bowl games. When that didn't happen you can really feel the sense of urgency and the attitude with the price that they were willing to pay and the work they were willing to put forth for their teammates. We really feel like the highest treason there is is when you don't give your all,that you don't give your best. These guys really just did an outstanding job all winter long and I think that's where it starts. That's where you start building your football team to make the change that you are talking about, to get back to wining, get back to that bowl. That's where it starts. It has to have carryover without the coaches after spring and that's where summer comes in and as hot as it's been, I felt like we have had just about 100% attendance. From about June 27th on its been 100% where our guys have been there and really paid the price. I am excited about that part of it. Getting back to the quarterback, the question you are asking about these guys, all three of them have some good qualities. The one thing they are all missing is experience. So how do you do that? You have got to throw them out there and see what -- which player is going to take that team and put them in the end zone with the fewest mistakes and by taking care of the most precious thing we have and that's the ball. Rob Johnson is the most athletic guy that we have. A strong arm. Won some championships in high school from Waco, Texas and I think that he has gotten better and better. He has got some competition. Alex Morton is a red shirt freshman, smart, heady guy that will sit in that pocket and I think is very, very accurate. And then we have an interesting guy by the name of Cole Barthel, 22 years of age from Decatur, Alabama who actually signed the same time Matt Jones did but he elected to go to professional baseball. He has been on buses, been travelling around, but he's an older guy that doesn't flinch, has some good things working for him, good intangibles. And so it's going to be interesting. The problem, the reason we can't name a quarterback today is Zac Tubbs is hurt, Tony Ugoh was with track, Cody Green recovering from back surgery so you basically we got a couple of ankles. We had five off linemen this spring, so we just couldn't scrimmage the way we wanted to to really determine who was going to be the guy. So hopefully within 10 to 12 days of ones, two-a-days start we're going to name a guy and get going.

HOUSTON NUTT: That's a good question. If you had told me that Auburn was going to go 13 and 0 or anybody in the SEC would, and not play for a National title with what we have been through, I really truly feel that the SEC is what I call a two-chinstrap league, you better buckle up both of them. To get through that just undefeated, deserves the right to play for a Championship. If I had one vote, it would be keep the bowls in line and add one more game. Let USC and Auburn play it out. But I don't have that luxury. So I hope it will never happen again. I felt for Coach Tuberville and his team because they deserved it. But that's just hard. The thing that bothers me about that, by the time we hit our 14th game, I mean you are just gasping for air. What it comes down to is kind of a survival of who has the fewest injuries. We had a good football team at Murray State, some years could have won it with the personnel that we had. But you have to stay away from injury. When we went to Atlanta, the thing that I remember, getting to Atlanta 12th game, we were beat up a little bit. Then you play a tough Georgia team and get a little bit more beat up. And then you don't get to go to the Bowl that you'd like to go to, we're thinking at least after going to the Championship game we were at least going to the Citrus Bowl, at least going to the Outback Bowl. Well, we don't get to go to a January 1 Bowl and now you have another motivation problem and so my point is when you hit that 13th, 14th, 15th game, that's a tough road now. You are asking a lot from your players.

HOUSTON NUTT: Really feel good about Marcus among. Peyton Hillis is another name that I feel like that, boy, if he hadn't gotten hurt last year in the Florida game I feel like he was getting ready to take off. Peyton has been a guy I really feel like we can move around from fullback, tailback, he can even play receiver. He has tremendous hands. He's a physical guy, has a great nose for goal line offense. What I mean by that's, he can cross, he can find the last white line. He has a great nose for scoring. Dedrick Poole, if he stays healthy, De'Arrius Howard, Cedric Washington, these guys are playmakers. We had a really good recruiting class. You'd never know how these freshman are going to respond to a new environment and atmosphere and new competition and higher level of competition, but we got some outstanding athletes and I feel good about your offensive line that's back.

HOUSTON NUTT: Well, first of all, if you had told me as a freshman from Arkansas he's going to come in and just outwork everyone, "yes, sir," "no, sir," and runs precise routes, I really thought he was just going to basically show up for football and go to basketball because we committed to him for letting him play both sports and I really thought his first love was basketball. But boy, he proved us wrong by just executing under pressure. He has tremendous hands. Not good hands; great hands. Soft hands and he's 6', 6". It makes a difference. Long arms. He can go up and get the ball. Towards the end of the season they started giving him a lot of attention, even to the point of doubleing him and so I am excited about Marcus and that means somebody else on the other side Chris Baker, Cedric Washington, Cedric Logan, David Thompson, these other guys are going to have a chance to step up.

HOUSTON NUTT: The 12th game, all players we love game day. That's not the problem. First reaction is, yeah, we want the 12th game. We do. But as a coach the only thing you are concerned about with the 12-game is injury. You just want -- depth is a universal problem. I love to have two to three more scholarships which won't happen. And so you got to face it, there's going to be 12 games. So get ready. And then you go attack it. The players love it. They love to do that. They love to play. You just want to stay healthy. That's the question. As far as the coaches poll, I just think it's better off if you don't. If you don't publicize it each week. I'd rather just -- especially early on -- you are asking for problems to let everybody know. I didn't have a problem with putting it out there, but you know, you got competitors, and some coaches are going to use it against you, they don't respect you. You can just see the motivational poise that coaches would use, so you know, I don't worry about it.

HOUSTON NUTT: The first thing is we're one year older especially in the secondary. Our defensive line, I really feel like they have really grown up. We made a couple of moves, I think will be key Marcus Harrison, 300-pound guy, we moved him inside. I am excited about that. Little bit more athleticism there. Desmond Sims who played linebacker, moved him to defensive end; he really had an outstanding spring. So becoming more athletic by a few moves that we made. I am excited about that. I am excited about Reggie Herring who brings a lot of passion to the game. We both started together on the same roof. We believe in the same things. We started in 1981 under Jimmy Johnson. He was the defensive GA. I was the offensive. And he just knows how to get them going full speed and again, Tracy Rocker, our defensive line coach, after being in this league, he's a year older and a year smarter. I just think we have good chemistry and it starts with those players.

HOUSTON NUTT: I hope so. I hope first of all, De'Arrius stays healthy. He's coming off shoulder surgery from this winter. He's a strong guy at, 224 pounds. Runs 4.4. He can squat the house, all those high weight 40s are great, but, boy, you want him to have a healthy year. I think if he will stay on the field, stay healthy, I think he can do that. I know this: When we hand him the ball we feel confident that ball is going to stay in his arm. He's very strong and very conscientious about ball protest. Been some games he's been outstanding for us but you are right, he's been up and down. I credit a lot of that to injury.

HOUSTON NUTT: We're not going to worry about that game right now. They are a great football team, defending world champions. I think the worst thing we can do is concentrate on that game. The first two games are tough enough. They are very tough. This is going to be the first time we open up the conference this early. First time we played Vanderbilt who has just an outstanding quarterback who is going to be drafted. So our work is cut out for us. We have a tough, tough schedule. But take L.A. out of the equation right now. It's the first game and then that second game. Then we'll worry about getting on that bus and plane.

HOUSTON NUTT: It is a terrible feeling. Our players felt it. Our coaches felt it. We had every intention of being the only staff, the only team at Arkansas to go to 7 straight and we were so close. That's what makes you sick. It's a great teacher, it's a fine line between winning and losing. If you go back and watch the season you are three to four plays away from being 7 and 4, possibly 8 and 3. Boy, it's just such a fine, fine line. So attention to detail, a little bit more attention. A little bit more sacrifice, a little bit more investment. So that's the road that we're on and again, there's not one team on our schedule that you can say circle it up and say that's a W. That's the thing about our league that makes it so difficult, that there's just no give-me's. Anybody you play in the SEC, you better get ready for a 60, 70-minute game because anyone can beat anyone on any given day.